Somewhere Only We Know
by Queen Isabelle
Summary: Lennox James was four years old when she was taken to WICKED. Ten years later, she is sent to Paradise to begin the preparations for the rest of the immunes. Once they arrive, a threat is uncovered that threatens the existence of the supposed saviors of the human race. Now Lux faces her own set of trials, trying to find a cure to save humanity and the boy she may or may not love.
1. Prologue: Before the Maze

**Hey everybody! I'm Isabelle, and I'm kind of new to this side of Fanfiction. I've written a few Frozen/ROTG cross-overs, but I just recently finished The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner and I absolutely fell in love. Especially with Newt. He's my fave. I cried when he *spoiler* died... I'm kind of still crying. Anyway, I've had this idea since I finished The Death Cure, and I decided I would go with it. So, it says that Thomas and them are basically going to repopulate the human race. I decided that Newt was going to somehow miraculously live, because I cannot deal, maybe they have a small amount of the cure, I'll polish that up later (if anybody has any ideas, feel free to share.) So, anyway, I had this story...which I guess will be explained throughout the story. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 _A warning to the prophet, the liar, the honest_

 _This is war_

 _To the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah_

 _This is war_

 _-This is War_ , Thirty Seconds to Mars

* * *

Prologue: Before the Maze

I was three years old when the sun flares hit. My mother told me that I was playing down in our basement with my best friend, Anna. I don't remember much from that day. I remember the ring of a phone, my mother crying, and lots of doors slamming. Anna's parents had come to get her when it was deemed "safe". I never saw Anna again. My father died from the sun flares; Mother never went into details about it, and I never asked. I don't know much about anything that happened those few weeks afterward. Honestly, I don't know much about anything that happened that year afterward. But I remember when the Flare was first released. It was all over the news. I remember being a little scared: I didn't know I was immune at this point.

That's about the time that my mother got a call from an organization called WICKED. They had heard about my father's advances in the medical field and wanted him for their team. They hadn't heard about his death. However, they were undeterred. They decided that they wanted to recruit my mother. She refused to be separated from me. They said that I could come, as long as I passed some testing.

I don't know how long it was before people came and got us, and took us to their headquarters. Maybe a day, maybe two. I don't know how long the testing they put me through took. I don't even remember the testing, to be honest. I do remember the moment that they told my mother and I that I was immune. Mother cried she was so happy. The people from WICKED seemed pleased, too. They told her that I would be one of the Candidates for something called the Trials. I didn't know what those were; I was only four. But my mother didn't like their response. She tensed up beside me and tugged me closer to her.

"No," she told the doctor. The man sighed and took off his glasses to rub his face.

"Mrs. James," the doctor said. "Don't you want to find a cure? Your daughter could be essential. We haven't even gotten all of the information and she looks promising. Surely you can see a medical break-through when you're presented with one?"

"My daughter will not be one of your lab rats," Mother insisted.

"It's either that, or we have to send her away. She could compromise the other Candidates. So, what will it be, Mrs. James?" he asked. Mother looked at me. I could see the terror in her eyes. I wasn't sure what it was for, but I knew that I hated it when she looked like that.

"I'll do it," I said, speaking for the first time. Mother looked like she wanted to protest, but I shook my head. "I don't want to be separated from you."

"She won't be sent right away, Mrs. James. We still have to build the Maze, and send other people into it first. She won't be the first. You'll still have plenty of time to be with your daughter," the man assured.

"But she might die." Mother's voice cracked.

"But she might not. Don't worry, Mrs. James, your daughter will be in good hands." The man stood up and walked out of the room. Mother's shaky breathing was the only thing heard in the quiet room.

"It'll be alright," I said. Mother turned to look at me, this time with sadness in her eyes rather than terror. She ran a hand through my hair.

"Oh, Luxie, you don't know what you've done to me." That was the last thing I heard from her before two people came into the room and carted me away.

* * *

I never saw my mother again. Later, I learned that she committed suicide. A bullet to the head. I never got to say goodbye. She never got to tell me she loved me one last time. Sometimes, life is really unfair.

* * *

For a while after they had taken me, I didn't see any other children. They kept me locked in a room, and a nice lady would bring my meals and eat with me. She said her name was Ava. I'm not sure what her job was, but she always ate with me. I enjoyed her company. She reminded me of my mother, but older. I think Ava was somewhere in her late forties maybe. She had blonde hair that was always pulled up in a ponytail whenever I saw her. She also had blue eyes, like me.

Sometimes, when she came, she would bring cards. We would play all sorts of games: Go Fish, Old Maid, Slap Jack. She taught me games, too. Ava taught me a game that I particularly liked, called Solitaire. That was the day she left the cards in my room. I played with them for hours. When I got bored of Solitaire, I began to play Go Fish against myself.

The next day, she brought what she called a checkerboard. She placed it on my bed and pulled out two separate baggies, one with red chips and one with black chips.

"Which color do you want to be?" she asked.

"Red," I said without a moment's hesitation. She laughed and began to set the checkers in their place. Then, she taught me how to play Checkers. We played that for weeks on end, and then we switched between playing cards and Checkers. I don't know how long I was locked up in that room, but Ava made the time go faster.

"Lux," she said one day. I looked up from the Chessboard. She'd brought it in about a week ago and taught me how to play. So far, it was my favorite game.

"Yes?" I replied. I shifted my legs so that I was sitting criss-cross-applesauce. Mother taught me that.

"How old are you?" she asked. I thought for a moment. When Mother and I had first come, I had been four. I didn't know how long the testing took. I didn't know how long I'd been in that room.

"I'm not sure," I said. "Probably closer to five now." I shrugged and moved my knight to take one of her bishops. Ava didn't show a sign of knowing that I'd moved.

"When's your birthday?" she questioned. I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it. I thought hard. I squeezed my eyes shut in concentration, but I couldn't come up with a date.

"I don't know." I was shocked. Who forgets their own birthday?

"That's it. They can't do this to you." Ava stood up abruptly, nearly tipping over the board.

"Can't do what?" I asked. She just kept walking to the door. "Ava? What are you talking about? What do you mean? Please, don't leave!" But she had already opened the door and left. I hopped off of my bed and ran for the door, but it closed before I could reach it. And Ava never came back.

* * *

When my door finally opened for the first time since Ava had left, I looked up hopefully. They'd still delivered my meals, but no one had joined me. I'd never felt so alone. Unfortunately, the person standing at the door wasn't Ava. It was someone who I'd never met. I pulled my knees up to my chest and stared at the woman through a curtain of my hair.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You need to come with me, Lux," she said.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"That doesn't matter. You need to come with me. You need to meet the other children." The woman walked over to my bed and crossed her arms. I thought I saw her expression soften ever-so-slightly when she looked at me.

"Other children?" I asked.

"Yes. Here are some clothes. Get dressed." She threw a bag at me that I hadn't noticed her carrying earlier. I pulled out the contents: a white short-sleeved shirt, a flowery dress, some underwear, and a pair of lace-up shoes. All of which looked to be about three sizes too big. The woman turned her back, and I reluctantly peeled off the pajamas that I had been wearing for who-knows-how-long and put on the new ones. Everything fit perfectly. I was immediately suspicious.

"How old am I?" I asked as I tied up my left shoe. The woman turned back around and sized me up.

"Paige really got you going, huh?" she asked.

"Who's Paige?" I questioned.

"Ava Paige. She's like second-in-command around here. Some people think that she'll be the next chancellor when Chancellor Anderson retires."

"You talk about this stuff like I know what it means. How old am I? How long have I been in this room?" I demanded. Frantically, I searched my mind for the last known date. For a solid sign that any time had passed outside of this room.

"How long do you think you've been here?" the woman replied.

"I don't know," I whimpered. "It feels like forever."

"I'm afraid I don't know either. That's above my pay-grade. Come on, let's get you to the cafeteria." The woman began walking towards my door, and I hurried after her.

"How old do I look?" I asked.

"Ask the other children," she said. She roughly grabbed a hold of my arm and towed me after her down the hallway. I stared at everything as we walked. The walls were gray and blank. No windows, no pictures, nothing. The floor made crisp noises as we walked along it. Off in the distance, I could just make out the sound of people talking. The farther along we walked, the louder the sound got. I got excited. I was finally going to meet some people my age. We were about twenty feet away from these large double doors where the voices were coming from when I noticed a door slightly ajar in the middle of a wall. I could make out a man and the back of a blonde woman's head.

"We can't do this to her," the woman spoke. Her voice was very familiar. I stopped. The woman holding my arm tugged and turned to reprimand me. She followed my gaze, and I could see her face whiten. She tugged harder, my feet scraping along the floor. The people in the room were oblivious.

"That's not for you to decide, Ava. The doctors decide what happen to Lennox James, and there is nothing I can do to change that," the man said. I froze at the sound of Ava's name and my own. They were talking about me. But what about me?

"She's been locked in that room for almost _four years_ and she couldn't even tell! She's lost all sense of time," Ava told him. I reeled. _Four years_? That would make me eight. I couldn't be eight.

"She didn't have that great a sense of time before anyway. The doctors simply wanted to grow her condition." The man walked out of my line of sight and Ava turned slightly so that I could see the side of her face. She looked mad.

"Temporal dysplasia? I thought that was proven to be false," Ava said.

"It was. But Lennox displays all of the signs of it. She has no sense of time, she greeted you as an old friend five minutes into meeting you, all of the games you teach her she plays as if she's been playing them for ten years, and she is the most emotionless child that I have ever studied. Maybe temporal dysplasia is real or maybe it isn't, but it's the closest thing we've got. And I think that this condition could be very beneficial to the Trials." The man sounded smug. I think that's what broke me.

"Ava!" I yelled. Ava started and turned to see me being dragged down the hall. The woman had almost gotten me to the doors. "Ava, what's going on? What have you done to me?" I felt betrayed. Everything that she had done had been for test results. She had never cared for me. It hurt, but then it didn't. The woman opened one of the doors and shoved me through.

* * *

I don't know who that lady was. She wasn't necessarily cruel, but she wasn't exactly nice to me either. She never told me her name. I'd only known her for as long as it took to take me to the cafeteria. But I still felt sad when I saw her dead body on the floor. She had multiple scratches on her face; in fact, the left side was barely discernible. The Flare was bad in her. I don't know who that lady was, but I was still sorry that she was dead.

* * *

The woman threw me inside. I lost my balance and fell to the floor. Looking up, I saw that there were four boys surrounding me.

"What's your name?" the boy with dark skin asked.

"What's yours?" I retorted.

Another boy stepped forward, this one with black hair and a squished nose. "He asked you first."

"I don't care," I snapped.

"I'm Alby," the first boy interrupted. "That's Newt, Minho, and Gally." Alby nodded his head in the direction of each boy as he said their name. He stared at me, expecting an answer.

"My name is Lux." I lifted my chin and stared straight at him. Slowly, I got up off of my knees and to my feet. "How old are you?" All four boys in front of me glanced at each other, confused.

"Why do you want to know?" the boy with the squished nose, Gally, asked.

"Because." I had to fight the urge to stick my tongue out. I put my hands on my hips.

"Gally," Alby reprimanded the boy, then turned to look at me. "I'm ten. How old are you?" I shook my head and looked at the two boys who hadn't yet spoken. One had blond hair that needed to be cut, and the other one was Asian. The blond, Newt, looked like he was torn between curiosity and confusion. The Asian boy, Minho, looked on the verge of laughing.

"I think I'm eight," I said slowly. "And I think I'm done here." I shoved out of their circle, and walked between the tables. There were twelve tables total. At each one sat seven or eight people, except for one table which only had three people at it and one that was empty that I assumed those boys sat at. I headed towards the table that had the three people. There were two girls and a boy.

"Hi," I said when I got there. They all looked up at me. A girl with bright red hair looked up and smiled at me.

"Hi, are you new?" she asked.

"I guess I am. Can I sit here?" I asked.

"Of course. Here, you can sit beside me." The girl scooted over and I sat down next to her. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lux," I said. "What's yours?"

"My name's Kate," she told me. I looked at the other girl who had hair the same shade as Newt.

"I'm Lizzie," she said shyly. I noticed that she had a funny sort of accent. I wracked my brain for what kind it was but came up with nothing.

The only boy at the table reached across and shook my hand. "And I'm Christopher." He pushed his glasses up his nose and returned to his seat. "You know, you made quite the entrance."

"I got a bit of shocking news before I was dragged in here," I retorted.

"What kind of shocking news?" Kate asked. That was too hard to explain. I answered her question with a question.

"How old do I look?" I looked at each of their faces, silently begging them to tell me.

"I don't know," Kate said warily. "You look my age."

"What's your age?" I asked.

"I'm eight." She picked a spoon and twisted it between her fingers.

"I think I'm eight, too." I let out a breath. Four years of my life had gone by without my knowing it. Could I really have temporal dysplasia? What even was that?

"I'm nine." Lizzie interrupted my thoughts. "So is my brother. We're twins."

"Who is your brother?" I questioned.

"Me." I turned around at the sound of a voice behind me. It too had an accent, and I saw that it belonged to the blond boy from earlier.

"And you are?" I knew who he was, but I worried that something might give away my "condition". What did that man mean by me greeting Ava like an old friend? I refused to drop my stare. I refused to show weakness. The other boys stood behind him.

"Newt. You didn't give me a chance to introduce myself earlier." He smiled cheerily. I crinkled my brow in confusion. _He_ confused me.

"That's because I didn't care. I don't need a welcoming committee," I said.

"You're acting awfully brave for an eight year-old," Gally commented. He moved so that he stood next to Newt.

"I guess I'm just special like that." I wanted them to go away. It was all too much.

"Being special," Minho spoke for the first time. "Isn't a good thing to be around here."

* * *

I was sitting on an examination table, my legs dangling off of the side. I was in one of those paper hospital gowns; it was freezing. The doctors had taken a few blood samples and then immediately left to go process them. I wondered how long I had to wait in here. I sighed and hoped that Kate or Lizzie would come in here to save me from boredom. The door opened and the nurse who had taken my blood pressure and weight came in.

"You're free to go, Miss James. Here are your clothes." She set a bundle of fabric down beside me.

"When will I get to know my test results?" I asked.

"Those aren't for you to know," she replied. Then she left. I sighed again. The sight of a door closing on me was very annoying. I hopped off of the table and took off the paper gown. I threw it on the floor, a tiny sign of a rebellion, and picked up my new clothes. I picked up a bra and put it on. Apparently, I was old enough to have breasts; I still wasn't sure how old I was. I'd hoped this visit to the doctor's would reveal my age. I continued putting on my clothes: the white shirt, the floral dress over the white shirt, a black vest over the floral dress, and a jacket. White tights, gray socks, and combat boots. I had the oddest clothes in the group of children.

When I'd finally finished getting dressed, I exited the room. I expected Lizzie to be waiting. Instead, it was Newt. He was leaning against the wall, arms and ankles crossed.

"Where's Lizzie?" I asked.

"WICKED wanted her for something. She asked me to come in her place." He shrugged.

"How sweet," I said, and began walking down the hallway. Newt fell into step beside me, and I let out a breath. I knew by math that it had been a little over six years since I had entered that cafeteria. I'd known Newt and Lizzie and Kate and Christopher for a little over six years, but it still felt like I'd always known them. That was part of the temporal dysplasia I was told. The doctors sent me to "therapy" sessions where they explained my condition and allowed me to talk about it. Mostly, I asked the questions I wanted to know and then read for the rest of the hour. That happened twice a week.

"We're starting the Trials tomorrow," Newt said. My head snapped up. I knew that Lizzie, Kate, and I weren't scheduled to go up for nearly a year. I think Christopher was good for a few months. I had no idea about anyone else.

"Are you one of the first?" I asked.

"No, I don't think I'll go up for a couple of months. Alby is though." Newt quieted after that. I bit my lip. Newt and Alby were extremely close, and essentially the leaders down here.

"I'm sorry," I said awkwardly. I wasn't good at comforting people. Should I pat his shoulder? People do that, right?

"Hey, we'll all be up there at some point," Newt said, trying to be light but I could hear the tightness in his voice.

"We won't remember each other," I whispered.

"Once it's all over, everything will be back to normal," Newt said.

"Or we'll be dead." I put my hands in my jacket pockets.

"But we might have a cure," Newt countered. I flinched. I'd forgotten that Newt wasn't immune. He needed this cure.

"Yeah, there is that." I nodded. I wondered if I'd just put my foot in my mouth. Kate said I did that a lot.

"You're not very good with people, are you?" Newt chuckled.

"Glad you can find some kind of humor in this," I muttered.

"Ah, Luxie, don't be like that. You know Lizzie hates it when we fight." I looked over to see Newt pouting at me.

"Don't call me Luxie." I stuck my tongue out at him and stomped ahead. He laughed and hurried to catch up to me. We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, Newt," I said as we neared the end of the tunnel. I slowed down.

"Yeah?" he asked, stopping. I turned to look at him.

"Be safe," I told him. Without thinking, I launched myself at him, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. He seemed surprised, but wrapped his arms around my waist quickly enough. It was a short, hard hug. I let go and stepped back. Newt stared at me, the corner of mouth quirking up a little bit.

"I'm not going down tomorrow," he said.

"You never know with WICKED." I shoved my hands once more into my pockets and walked the rest of the way down the hall.

* * *

"Lux!"

The voice was urgent. The sound of my name made me stir. The insistent pushing of my shoulder caused me to wake up, still a little groggy but alert nonetheless.

"Huh?"

"Lux! Wake up!" My eyes finally found the source of the noise. It was Ava, with Kate and Lizzie standing sleepily behind her.

"Ava?" I asked.

"Get up, Lux. Now. Get dressed. Hurry." She threw clothes at me, and I quickly dressed in them. Then, she tossed me a backpack and hauled me to my feet. "Follow me," she told us. Kate grabbed my hand and toted me after her, Lizzie a few paces in front of us.

"What's going on?" I asked. Kate seemed to know what was going on, but Lizzie looked just as confused as me.

"Chancellor Paige has a plan," Kate told me under her breath. "She's having us taken some place."

"What?" Lizzie asked. "Is Newt coming?"

"No, Newt has to go in the Trials," Kate said.

"No," Lizzie breathed. "I won't go without him."

"Liz, focus. Newt will be fine. He'll be joining us." Kate followed as Ava turned a corner, and we met up with a tired Christopher and a man with green hair.

"Theo, did anyone follow you?" Ava asked, pulling a key out of her pocket. She walked towards the door that Christopher and Theo stood in front of.

"No, we're good. These are the kids?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't worry; they're plenty capable, and remember, people will be joining you soon enough." Ava stuck the key in the lock and turned it. There was a clicking noise and the door opened.

"Ava, what is going on?" I asked. I wrenched my arm out of Kate's grasp and stepped forward. "You haven't talked to me since I was last in that room."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Lux. And I'm sorry to send you away, but I have to if I want to keep you safe. Kate and Theo will explain everything when you get there. For now, just be quiet and go through the Flat Trans." Ava grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug. "Be safe," she whispered. Exactly what I'd said to Newt that afternoon. She turned and left, and I heard the door lock behind her.

"Okay, kids, let's get out of here." Theo clapped his hands together.

"Not without Newt," Lizzie said. She crossed her arms over her chest and planted her feet.

"Newt will join us," Kate soothed.

"You can't promise her that," Theo muttered. Kate looked like she was about to punch Theo. Lizzie looked like she was about to cry.

"He has to pass the Trials, then Chancellor Paige will make sure that he gets here too, okay?" Kate assured Lizzie.

"We don't have time for this," Theo said. He walked over to a machine, pressed a few buttons, and a shimmering gray wall appeared. "Christopher, you first. Go, now." Christopher didn't argue. He gave me a salute and walked through the wall. Kate was still trying to calm Lizzie down. Theo looked at me.

"Lux," I said before he could ask. He nodded at me and motioned for me to go next. "Where does this lead?"

"We call it Paradise," Theo said. "Hurry. I'll make sure your friends go." I clenched my hands into fists. What was worse: the unknown or WICKED? I stepped forward and into the Flat Trans.

* * *

 **So, what did you guys think? Do you like it? Should I continue it? Please let me know! Follow, favorite, review, etc, etc. If there are any questions regarding anything, feel free to ask them and I will answer them! I tried to keep everything as close to the books as possible, but it's been a while since I read the first book so...**

 **Also, temporal dysplasia I got from the new show on ABC Family called "Stitchers". I love it, and I kind of thought it was a real condition. It's *not*(proven anyway) and I want to use it for my story so here it's real. I feel like it could add some depth to Lux. Speaking of Lux, what do you guys think of her? She and Newt will be together later on. The next few chapters will be of Lux, Kate, Lizzie, Christopher, and Theo building up a city of sorts, and introducing other immunes that Chancellor Paige will be sneaking through. Then, I will reintroduce Newt and all of our faves. Speaking of favorites, do you guys want me to have Teresa in the story? I could easily add her in if you want, but I don't know how you all feel about her. My best friend hates her so feel free to tell me your opinions!**

 **Thanks! So let me know: should I continue the story? What do you think of Lux? Should I keep Teresa alive? What did you think of my story?**

 **~Isabelle**

 **P.S. The chapters probably won't be as long as this one. I was just trying to set a background. My chapters tend to be in the 2,000 word range.**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Hey, guys! Here is the next chapter! And I had someone ask if this was book-verse and movie-verse. This is book-verse. If there are any other questions, feel free to ask them! Hope you enjoy the chapter!:)**

 **I do not own The Maze Runner or any of James Dashners' characters. I only own my characters and my ideas.**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain_

 _Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_

 _For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool_

 _By making his world a little colder_

 _-Hey Jude_ , The Beatles

* * *

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Stepping out of the Flat Trans was disorienting. I've always had trouble traveling; I get carsick and seasick and all kinds of sick. Apparently, molecular transportation isn't an exception. I tripped over air and fell onto the ground. The first thing I noticed was that the grass was soft and very, very green. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen grass this green. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen grass, to be honest. I looked up to see the bluest sky with perfect, fluffy white clouds. I rolled over onto my back to fully take in the sky.

"Lux?" Christopher's voice drifted to me. I got up on my elbows to see Christopher emerging from a forest. "It's beautiful, isn't it? There are all sorts of different fruits on these trees. And there are flowers, too."

"Where are we, Chris?" I asked in awe. I managed to get to my feet and walk over to where he stood. I looked over his shoulder to see into the forest. Bananas and oranges and apples and fruits I'd never seen before dotted the trees. "I thought those fruits all needed different climates to grow."

"It's weird, right? This place is different," Chris said.

"Do you trust it?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Chris gave me a confused look.

"It's too perfect. WICKED obviously made it. What if this is just a form of the Trials? What if they lied to us?" My breath started to come in short gasps.

"Lux, calm down. You know Chancellor Paige. She obviously cares for you. She wouldn't do anything to put you in danger. And I know Theo. He hates WICKED as much as us. They're not playing us, Lux." Chris sounded so sure. A noise sounded behind us, and I could hear Lizzie's sobs.

"No! Please, no! I won't leave him!" she screamed.

"We're gone, Lizzie! There's nothing we can do to save him," Kate replied. I turned around to see Kate pinning Lizzie to the ground. I ran over and slid to my knees beside her.

"Liz, hey, you have to calm down," I soothed. I heard Christopher approach, and he kneeled down on the other side of her.

"We don't know what's going on here, Liz. Maybe Newt is safer where he's at." Christopher tried to be the voice of reason. That same noise sounded again and we all turned to see Theo step out of the Flat Trans.

"Come on, Kate. I need your help," he said. She nodded and let go of Lizzie, standing up and walking over to the machine that we'd all taken to get here.

"What are you going to do?" Christopher asked.

"We have to destroy it," Kate told us.

"No!" Lizzie shot up and launched herself at Theo, who had somehow gotten a hold of a sledgehammer. He quickly dropped it and caught Liz around the waist.

"Liz!" I yelled. She started swinging at Theo and Kate, who had run over to try and help.

"You can't! You can't leave him!" Lizzie cried.

"This is just one way, Liz! There will be another Flat Trans, I promise," Kate said.

"I don't believe you, Kate. How long have you been in on this?" Lizzie demanded.

"Lizzie." Kate looked hurt. "I only agreed to this because it would protect you and Chris and Lux."

"What about Newt? Why couldn't you take my brother, too? The only family I have left?" Liz stared hard at Kate. Theo tentatively released his hold on Liz and reached down to pick the sledgehammer back up.

"Listen, we can explain everything, but first we have to destroy this thing. We can't risk anyone following us," he said.

"But―" Lizzie began.

"We have to. I'll explain later," Kate said. She nodded at Christopher who wrapped his arms around Lizzie. For a moment, Liz looked like she was going to fight but instead sagged against him. Kate and Theo turned to the Flat Trans machine.

"You know what to do," Theo said. Kate stepped up to the keypad and started hitting buttons. The machine began to make a beeping sound. Kate quickly stepped away and walked over to stand beside me. Theo hefted the hammer up onto his shoulder and swung it down onto the keypad. The beeping increased to a wailing.

"Come on!" Kate had to yell in my ear. She pulled me up and motioned for Christopher to follow her. She started running into the forest, and I warily followed her. She stopped after about a minute and turned to look at us.

"We should be safe here," she commented.

"Safe from what?" I asked. The small explosion answered my question.

"That." Kate smiled and put her hands on her hips. Lizzie let out a sob. "Liz, I promise, as long as Newt survives the Trials, he will be here."

"Why couldn't he come with us?" Lizzie wailed.

"Because he's not immune," Theo said. We all turned to see him walking towards us. He reached up and put out a small fire in his green hair.

"Is it gone?" Kate asked.

"Completely obliviated." Theo nodded.

"What do you mean because he's not immune? What does that have to do with anything?" Lizzie demanded.

"Chancellor Paige knows that WICKED won't find a cure. She's hopeful, but she wanted to have a back-up plan. This is her back-up plan," Theo explained.

"And the back-up plan is?" I asked.

"To repopulate the Earth," Kate answered. I made a face. So did Christopher. Lizzie looked like she was about to cry.

"As the Trials go on, Chancellor Paige plans to send more immunes. As she finds them, she'll send them. Then, once the Trials are over, she'll send everyone in one big group. After that, it's over. It'll be our job to make sure the human race survives," Theo said.

"If there is no cure, how is Newt supposed to survive?" Lizzie asked.

"Chancellor Paige isn't sure if they'll find a cure. They might," Kate soothed.

"If they might find a cure, what's the point in all of this?" Christopher asked.

"There won't be much of it, and there's no guarantee that it will work past a certain point," Theo explained. "I understand that you're worried about your brother, but you have to focus on the bigger picture. We are saving humanity."

"Why did we get sent here first?" I asked.

"Because Chancellor Paige insisted that we save you," Theo told me. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Me?" I asked.

"That's part of the reason that she chose me," Kate said. "She knew that you trusted me." I shook my head. Lizzie gripped at her hair. Christopher rubbed a hand down his face. I couldn't deal with this right now.

"What are we supposed to be doing then?" I asked. Theo and Kate looked at me. I raised my eyebrows at them. "Well?"

"First, we need to start building," Theo said.

"Building what?" Christopher asked.

"With what?" I added.

"Someplace to sleep to start with," Kate said.

"Chancellor Paige got it started a little bit. There are tools in that shed back there," Theo told us.

"Food? Water?" Christopher asked.

"We've got it handled. We basically just have to figure out how to run this place." Theo sounded so calm, so sure. I was on edge.

"Fine," I said. I clasped my hands together in front of me to hide the fact that they were shaking. "Let's get started."

* * *

I woke up in a sweat. I could see the faint outlines of stars through the canvas roof of our makeshift home. It was difficult to sleep here; I knew that we were in the middle of nowhere, but I still worried about Cranks somehow finding us and killing us. Or eating us. I shuddered and rolled over onto my side, nearly flipping over in the process.

Carefully, I got out of my hammock and stood up. Theo and Christopher slept in a separate "building" on the opposite side of our camp, along with the two new guys who had shown up last week. They had been a huge help with the building; especially since we had discovered that both Lizzie and myself were completely inept at holding a hammer.

I saw Kate's sleeping form, but Lizzie's hammock was empty. I sighed silently. Lizzie had been a little hard to handle these past three weeks. Not that I blame her; I imagine losing your twin is a very hard thing to go through. I knew that she snuck out at night, but I'd always been asleep when she'd done it. Now, I felt a sense of responsibility to go talk to her. I crossed my fingers that she wasn't crying (I'm not good at comforting people) and walked towards the lake.

This place, which we had dubbed Paradise, was truly amazing. Christopher had managed to find thirteen different kinds of fruits and vegetables, and declared that the water in the lake was, in fact drinkable. We'd found two different springs a little ways off from our clearing and decided that one would be like a girls' shower and the other would be for boys'. The spring was warm and had some sort of mineral in it, according to Christopher. Kate and I joke that Christopher needs to get a life.

I walked barefoot across the grass, relishing the feeling of the soft stuff between my toes. It was strange to be so surrounded by nature after being so cramped up for years. As I got closer to the lake, Lizzie's form began to take shape.

"Hey, Lizzie," I said as I approached. She turned around and gave me a shaky smile.

"Hey, Lux. What are you doing up?" she asked. I sat down beside her and put my feet in the water. It was cold, but it was refreshing.

"I could ask the same of you," I replied.

"Couldn't sleep." She shrugged.

"Me too, but I suspect your incapability of sleeping has more to do with some _one_ than some _thing_." I kicked my foot and some water splashed up and onto my thigh.

"Newt is going into the box tomorrow," Liz told me. I crinkled my forehead in confusion.

"I thought they were going to send up a person once a month," I said.

"It's been a month, Lux. I've been keeping track," she replied.

"I have too," I insisted.

"I know I'm right. Here." Lizzie handed me a piece of paper. There were a lot of slash marks on it, but it was too dark to count them all.

"But I thought…" I trailed off. "Stupid temporal dysplasia." I thrust the piece of paper back at her and shook my head. "I'm sorry, this is selfish of me. You're clearly upset. Do you… want to talk about it?"

Lizzie laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "You never have been very good with people. I'm fine, Lux. In fact, it's a little comforting. By tomorrow, Newt will be looking at the same sky I am."

"Actually, the sky in the Trials is fake. I overheard a couple of the scientists talking about it." I winced. That was insensitive. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I've kind of known that I'd never seen my brother again. I just have to make peace with it, I guess."

"Don't say that. Maybe they can find a cure."

"You heard Theo and Kate when we first got here. Chancellor Paige doesn't think that they'll find one. That's why we're here!"

"Lizzie―"

"No, Lux. It's the truth," Lizzie said. I looked over at her. For once, her eyes weren't on the verge of tears when she talked about Newt.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be," I said slowly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Let's search for a cure ourselves," I suggested.

"What?" Liz looked at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

"We can try and make a cure ourselves. I mean, come on, we've got magic springs and magic fruit and magic conditions. We can look for something," I said.

"How will we know if it works?" Liz questioned.

"We won't." I shrugged. "But we can still try."

"It's a nice thought, Lux, but I don't think it will work."

"But―"

"Please," Lizzie looked at me sadly. "Don't give me hope. I've already said goodbye. I can't stand a second one."

"But you never got a real goodbye," I said.

"I've come to terms with it. You can go. I just want to be alone."

"Okay, but just know that my offer is always open," I told her. I got to my feet and walked back to camp. I could see the burnt remains of our fire from that night and managed to skirt around the edges. I wondered how the Trials were going and if both Group A and Group B spent their nights like this too. Then, I thought about Newt. I wondered if he would be able to remember his sister. I wondered if he would survive. And then I wondered that if he and Lizzie were somehow reunited, if he would remember her. And if he didn't, if that would break her.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think! Follow, favorite, review, PM me, whatever you feel like doing! I especially love it when you guys give me your opinions! Thank you for reading and I hope to have another chapter up in the next week or two! Stay tuned:D**

 **~Isabelle**


	3. Chapter 2: Some Familiar Faces

_With the lights out, it's less dangerous_

 _Here we are now, entertain us_

 _I feel stupid and contagious_

 _Here we are now, entertain us_

 _-Smells Like Teen Spirit_ , Nirvana

* * *

Chapter 2: Some Familiar Faces

 **2 Years Later**

"Lennox!" Someone called my name. I looked up from the shirt I was working on to see who it was, though I had a strong suspicion that it was Rebecca. She stood in the middle of the doorway, hands on her hips and looking very "holier-than-thou". She was twenty-seven years old, the second oldest person in Paradise. The oldest spot belonged to Oliver, who was going on forty and treated Liz and I like the daughters he never had. They had both called me by my full name ever since Kate had jokingly called me it one day.

"Yes?" I replied. I pulled the pencil out of my bun and made a few notes on the design for Lizzie's wedding dress. After Liz had finally gotten over the fact that Newt wouldn't be in Paradise any time soon, she decided to become more sociable. In fact, she got _very_ sociable with Theo, and the two were planning their wedding for the end of the month. At the first signs of their relationship, I'd been nervous. One, I didn't know how old he was, and two, I'd thought that Kate had had a crush on him. I soon learned that he was only four years older than Liz, which eased my mind, and that Kate wasn't interested in Theo. At all. In fact, she wasn't into _any_ men.

"I wanted to see how the clothing was coming along," she sniffed. I fought the urge to throw my scissors at her.

"Why do you care?" I asked. "You're not in charge of sewing. You're not in charge of anything." I added the last part under my breath. Everyone knew how the hierarchy, for lack of a better word, worked around here: Oliver, then Kate and Theo, and then Rebecca, acting like she knew what she was doing.

"I have a pair of pants ordered. I want to know when I can get them," she said.

"You can get them when everyone else gets their clothes: next week," I told her.

"Fine. Honestly, you think someone who was so good at sewing would be able to finish orders sooner," she commented.

"I have two wedding dresses, five tuxedo suits, and seven bridesmaid dresses to make by the end of the month. Everyone agreed at the last meeting that they would be okay if new clothes weren't out every week until both weddings are over." I clenched my fists under the desk.

"Well―"

"Lennox, darling, how are the dresses coming along?" Oliver tended to make grand entrances. I'd never been so happy for one before.

"I've finished Violet's, and I'm working on Lizzie's. I'll need measurements soon for the bridesmaid dresses, but I've got half of the tuxes done," I informed him. Oliver grinned at me and rubbed a hand on my head.

"That's my girl. What would we do without you?"

"Run around naked," I replied. He let out a booming laugh. That was one of the things I loved about Oliver: everything he did was larger than life. I didn't remember my father, but I hoped he was at least half as great as Oliver.

"Becky, what are you doing in here?" he questioned.

"Seeing if she needed help," Rebecca said.

"Getting on my nerves," I muttered under my breath. I sighed and rifled through the papers on my desk. We had a total of forty-seven people currently residing in Paradise. We'd managed to build several buildings in the past two years. Theo, Jacob, and Eli had managed to build a kitchen-esque area before Oliver showed up. He showed up the morning after Lizzie and I had had our talk by the lake, the same day that Newt entered the Trials. He had really organized everything and taken charge. Throughout the years, people had come rather spread out. We'd only lost one person, a mother who had taken her life after her son almost drowned in the lake. Now, little Leo stayed with Oliver. "Where's Leo?" I asked.

"Picking flowers with Liz. She wanted his opinion for her bouquet, and I wanted a break so I could come talk to you," Oliver told me.

"What do you need to talk to her about?" Rebecca asked. I gave her an exasperated look.

"Becky, this doesn't concern you." Oliver fixed her with a stare, and she reluctantly left the room.

"Thank you," I said once she had left the room.

"I know you two don't get along, but you could at least try and hide your hostility," he stated.

"I don't hide my feelings," I reminded him. I was very blunt. Many people joked about it. Only Oliver and my friends knew about my temporal dysplasia, and I planned to keep it that way. No one would understand, and I hated talking about it. I much preferred being perceived as heartless. "Is that what you came to talk about? Our rivalry? Because believe me, there is no rivalry."

"That's not what I'm here to discuss. I got a message from Chancellor Paige this morning," Oliver said softly. The pencil I was holding snapped. I opened my hand and let the pieces fall onto the desk.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"She said that the final group of immunes is coming today," Oliver informed me.

"How many?" I was doing the calculations in my head. They would most likely only come with the one outfit, and I would have to make more. I wondered if some of our members wouldn't mind giving up their clothes until I could catch up.

"Chancellor Paige said that WICKED has collected some five hundred people. Plus the group that has survived the Trials," Oliver said.

"How many is in the group?" I asked.

"I think she said thirty? Something like that. And―" Oliver winced and shut his mouth.

"And?" I prompted. He sighed and looked at the floor.

"And she has the Flare." Oliver looked up at me, gauging my reaction. I knew I should feel something; Ava basically took over the position of my mother for four years of my life, though I didn't know it was four years. Maybe I should be crying or shaking my head in denial. But I felt nothing. It felt like she had always had the Flare. I tried to tell myself that I was only reacting like this because I'd known that she would contract the Flare, but I knew it was because of my temporal dysplasia. I hated it. Sometimes, I was thankful for my inability to feel. But moments like these, when I was told something and it was instantly processed and branded into my memory, were almost painful to go through.

"Oh, that's too bad," I said. I saw the pity in Oliver's eyes and moved to the page that I was writing on. "So many clothes. I'm going to have arthritis before I'm twenty." Oliver couldn't stop the laugh. He clapped me on the shoulder and shook his head.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Luxie. I truly am." He left the room. I watched him go. Nobody had called me Luxie since the day before I left WICKED's headquarters. I ran my tongue along my teeth and sat back down in my chair.

"Well," I said to myself. "At least with all of these people coming, I can get some more sewing lackeys."

* * *

Walking outside to get my lunch, I noticed that the air had an excited sort of feel to it. I sighed. Clearly, Oliver had told everyone of our newcomers. Of course, they had been building the shed for weeks now to house the newest, and last, Flat Trans. Theo told me that it would be the quickest way to destroy it once everyone came through. They had finished it yesterday. Great timing on their part. I continued my journey to the kitchen, waving every time someone called my name. I walked through the back door, and saw Lizzie harassing two-thirds of the triplets, Jasper and Brynn. They were fourteen, and their brother, Dylan, worked for me in sewing.

"Liz, let the poor children breathe," I said as I entered. Jasper mouthed a "thank you", and Brynn giggled and threw me an apple.

"You're an angel sent from above, Lux," she told me. I winked at her and hopped up onto the counter.

"I was just asking about cake flavors," Liz defended. Jasper mimed a choking reaction behind her and the corner of my mouth lifted up.

"Give them a break, Lizzie. They have to start preparing for the incoming five hundred or so people. I'd imagine that they'll be hungry." I took a bite of my apple. It was red and crisp.

"Are they really coming?" Brynn asked anxiously.

"That's what Oliver told me," I answered.

"Why so many?" Lizzie asked.

"It's the last group of immunes." I braced myself. _Please, Lizzie, don't make me say it_. Liz's smile froze on her face.

"Newt?" she asked. The light in her eyes seemed to dim. I knew that she'd basically left him for dead, but the possibility that he might be alive was clearly too tempting.

"I don't know, Lizzie. Let's not get our hopes up," I reasoned. She nodded and fanned her face.

"Right, calm. I'm calm. Completely calm. The face of calm. Literally no one is calmer than me right now." She began pacing, and I took another bite of my apple. "When?"

"I don't know." I twisted the stem out of the apple and threw it on the floor. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a lot of shouting. I jumped off of the counter and tossed my apple off to the side. I ran outside to see Oliver handing Leo off to Mackenzie, a sweet girl about two years older than me, and rushing to the aid of several people who had fallen out of the shed.

"Apparently now!" I shouted over my shoulder.

"Get them away from the entrance! We've got a lot of people coming! Come on!" Oliver yelled. Everyone who had been sitting on the grass and enjoying a picnic lunch immediately hopped up and ran over. I reached the pile of people and grabbed the arm of a middle-aged woman.

"Come with me, ma'am," I said. I half-dragged, half-carried her over to where our doctors had set up camp. There was a giant gash in her leg.

"What happened?" Fallon, a gifted nurse, asked.

"There were these creatures," the woman sobbed. "A couple of boys were fighting them, but they got me and... and killed my husband." Fallon nodded to me and began to work on cleaning the woman's wound. I turned and ran back to the ever-growing pile of people. Most were able to get up and walk away once they caught their breath, but there were some that were too badly injured. I reached down for a little girl who looked to be about Leo's age. Her face was white and sounded like she was having trouble breathing. I cradled her in my arms and ran her over to an available doctor.

"Lux!" Oliver yelled. I was immediately on guard. Oliver had only called me Lux one time, and that was before he knew that my name was Lennox. Oliver was supporting two people and nodded towards the shed when I looked at him. "Take care of that once everyone's through." I saluted him and ran back to the shed once more. I waited as person after person came through, directing the injured to our medical camp. Towards the end of the stream of people, I began to recognize some faces. It didn't surprise me; WICKED only picked the best for their precious killzone patterns. Of course they would make sure that the civilians would go through first. They seemed to recognize me, too.

"If you're injured, go to the right. If you're not, go to the left and wait for instructions," I announced. It seemed like the stream of people was never ending. Finally, it began to slow. I saw Frypan, then Minho, a girl with brown hair. I grabbed her arm as she passed.

"Is this it?" I demanded. I hoped it wasn't. I knew that if Newt didn't come through that shed that it would kill Lizzie.

She shook her head no. "There are a few more people. They're fighting off the Grievers."

"The what?" I pulled a face at the strange name. She just shrugged and moved to stand beside me.

"I have people in there," she explained.

"I do too," I said.

"You do?" She seemed surprised.

"Well, not exactly. I have someone who has a person in there. Hopefully," I muttered.

"Who?" she asked. The door slammed open one more time to reveal a boy with brown hair dragging an unconscious girl across the threshold. It looked like her middle was caved in.

"Oliver!" I yelled, and he hurried over. He took in the situation and reached down to pick up the girl. I wasn't sure that she could be saved. The boy threw a protective arm around her.

"Don't… touch… her," he panted. The girl standing beside me knelt down.

"Thomas, they can help her," she told him. The boy, Thomas, looked up at us and reluctantly removed his arm. Oliver quickly scooped the girl up and ran off. I looked at Thomas.

"Is there anyone else?" I asked. _Please say yes, please say yes_. The boy shook his head no.

"Everyone left is dead. The Maze started to cave in on us, and the Grievers got a lot of people," he told me. My heart deflated. Lizzie would be crushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. As long as you're sure no one else is coming, we have to destroy this." I brushed off my knees and turned to go into the shed, but the brown-haired girl beat me to it. I sighed and offered Thomas one of my hands. He took it and pulled himself up.

"Do you have any idea as to how many people made it through?" I asked, looking around. It definitely wasn't the estimated five hundred, but it was certainly a lot.

"One hundred, maybe one-fifty. It was a mess back there." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Okay. Why don't you go get some water and find some friends to sit with. We'll need to do a head count soon, but―" I was cut off by the shed catching fire behind me. Thomas jumped, but I watched calmly as the girl left the burning building.

"All done," she said,

"Thanks. Look, I'm sure you two have had a rough day, so how about―" I began.

"Thomas!" Minho ran up. I stiffened, waiting to see if he would recognize me. I remembered that everyone was to have their memory removed before they entered the Trials, but I didn't know if they got them back. "Glad to see you made it."

"You too, man." Thomas grinned. I was about to remind them, once again, to go sit down and get some water when I heard Lizzie's voice.

"Newt!" she yelled. I looked over to see a tall boy with long blond hair freeze on his way over to us. I rubbed my eyes: was that seriously Newt? He'd grown a lot taller and gained some muscle; I couldn't see his face very well, but the mop of blond hair gave him away. I must have missed him as he came through. Lizzie stood in the middle of the clearing, clutching a worn piece of fabric to her chest. Everyone from the colony held their breath; we all knew the story of Lizzie and her brother. _Please recognize her, please recognize her, dear God please let him recognize her_ , I begged. Lizzie ran up so that she was standing right behind him.

"Do you… remember me?" she asked quietly. She seemed like a little girl then, holding what I knew to be a piece of his shirt that she'd worn the night we had been brought here. "Please?"

"I'm sorry," he said in his British accent, so much like Liz's. "I don't know who you are."

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I know that I have been updating rather quickly, but that is because I am so in love with this story! So, the moral of this sentence is that I might not be able to continue with this constant stream of updating. I'm spoiling you! It's just that as soon as I write, I post. Always have, always will. The reason I'm mentioning this is because I will soon be having play practice, along with piano and volunteering, so I'll be pretty busy soon. Ever heard of _Belles_ by Mark Dunn? It's a play told in 2 acts and 45 phone calls; should be interesting.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter. I appreciate everyone who reviews, and I think next chapter I'll do some shout-outs. So, please review. I really like reviews! Also follow, favorite, whatever! Feel free to PM too if you have a question. Or write the question in the review. Whatever you feel like. If you want a shout-out, review! You can ask me a question about anything!:D Thank you guys so much for being supportive. Tell your friends about my story! (sarcasm, but if you want to, I won't stop you.)**

 **Question: What do you think will happen next chapter with Newt and Lizzie?**

 **Thank you so much!**

 **~Isabelle**


	4. Chapter 3: What Friends Are For

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner or any of its characters, nor the idea of Newt's sister. I only own my characters and my ideas, aside from Paradise.**

 **BTW: I use a very bad curse word in here for anyone who feels uncomfortable with cursing. (Although, if you're on the Fanfiction website, it can pretty much be assumed that cursing will be happening. Just saying. But I warned you!)**

* * *

 _Lean on me, when you're not strong_

 _And I'll be your friend_

 _I'll help you carry on_

 _For it won't be long_

' _Til I'm gonna need_

 _Somebody to lean on_

 _\- Lean on Me,_ Bill Withers

* * *

Chapter 3: What Friends Are For

Newt stared at Lizzie, looking lost. She was frozen; her hands were gripping the cloth so hard that they were turning white. I saw her chest heave, as if trying to gain some breath, and then she turned and sprinted in the direction of the woods. Theo looked at me, shrugged, and ran after her. Oliver stepped forward and clasped his hands together.

"Well," he said. Everyone shifted their gaze to him. "I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry about everything that has happened to you people. For right now, we are working on healing the injured, and I'm sure you're all anxious to see them, but I think it would be best if you got some food and water in you. I know you all have questions, but it's important to stay healthy." He clapped his hands once, signalling everyone to get moving. The members of Paradise hurried into action, coaxing worried family members and friends into sitting on the ground, while the cooks brought out food from the kitchen. I turned to the group behind me.

"You heard the man," I said. They stared at me. I sighed. "Look, I'm not a people person. So just find a patch of grass, grab a piece of bread, and keep your mouth shut until someone says otherwise. Got it?"

"No nonsense." The girl with brown hair nodded approvingly. I sighed once more and headed over to Oliver. I could hear the little group behind me and fought the urge to groan.

"Oliver," I called. He turned to see who called his name and smiled at me.

"Lennox, perfect. We're going to need to get these people some new clothes," he told me. He was acting very jolly: it reminded me of Santa Claus.

"Of course," I amended. "Although, I am going to need measurements first." Oliver always seemed to forget that people came in different shapes and sizes. Ironic, really, considering that he was nearly two feet taller and a good forty pounds heavier than me. Oliver laughed.

"Right, right. So, who are your friends?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure," I said. I turned back to the group of friends: the girl with brown hair, Minho, Thomas, some Hispanic guy and Gally who had both come out of nowhere, and now Newt. He still looked hopelessly confused. "Um, who are you?" If Newt didn't recognize Lizzie, no way in Hell would he recognize me, and Minho had treated Liz as his own sister, so he would have said something if he had remembered. I decided to play dumb; no need to complicate things and confuse them even more that they already were. Thomas stepped forward.

"I'm Thomas," he introduced. "This is Brenda," he motioned towards the brown-haired girl. "Minho, Jorge, Gally, and Newt."

"Welcome," Oliver said warmly. "And who was the girl who was injured that you brought with you?" Thomas's expression became pained.

"Teresa," he told us. I had a feeling that he and Teresa were a little close. I scrunched up my nose in thought: Thomas and Teresa, I had heard those names before.

"What's going on here?" Minho asked.

"Survival," I replied. Oliver gave me a look, and I shrugged. "What? What else is there to it?"

"It's a little more complicated than just 'surviving,'" Oliver informed them. "Ignore Lennox here; she's our resident cynic-slash-seamstress."

"Meaning?" Gally asked.

"Meaning get on my bad side, and you won't have new clothes," I said. Gally smirked at me.

"None of them remember you, Lux," he said. "But I do." He looked extremely pleased with himself. Everyone stared at me. I almost wished I could make a facial expression that I could try to hide.

"Well, how fucking grand. Do you want a sticker? Because I have no idea who you are." He blinked. Clearly, that wasn't the answer he was expecting. Minho barked a laugh, Thomas and Brenda snickered, and Newt looked like he was trying not to smile.

"Excuse me?" Gally stepped forward. Oliver leveled him with a stare, and Gally backed down.

"Look, I have more important things to do than fight with you right now. I don't know what you're talking about, but you need to drop it. Here, we work together." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Or?" Gally challenged. I sighed: why was he doing this?

"There is no 'or,'" Oliver said. I nodded.

"You were at WICKED?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know. I don't think so." I shrugged. God, I hope this doesn't come back to bite me.

"But now you're here," he said.

"Yes," I replied.

"How?" Minho asked the question this time.

"I don't know. The same way everyone else came? Frankly, I don't care. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have over one hundred outfits to sew, and not a lot of time to do it." I fluttered my hands and they made a path for me out of their little group. I walked to my workshop, pretending like everything was normal.

* * *

I barely got through the first sketch before the guilt of Lizzie crawled up on me. My best friend was out in the forest, hurting, and I was in here doodling. Sure, her fiance was out there, but how much help could he be if he never even knew Newt? I sighed and rubbed my face, throwing down my pencil. I was on my feet and out the door before I'd even realized I'd made up my mind. Oliver and the group of friends encountered me halfway down the stairs.

"Oh, Lennox, where are you going? I was going to have you take their measurements," Oliver said.

"I'm going to go check on Lizzie. Just take them downstairs and have Dylan do it. He knows what to measure," I replied. "And if he gets caught up, have Bethany help."

"Thank you," he said. I smiled.

"No problem. Where's Leo?" I asked.

"Playing in the grass." Oliver gave me a panicked glance, silently asking if that was wrong. He and his wife hadn't been able to have children, though it was a dream of his. When his wife died of the Flare, he had basically given up all hope. Then, Ava had sent him here and that poor woman had committed suicide. Oliver had eagerly taken Leo in. The only problem was that he didn't exactly know how to raise a child.

"Want me to take him?" I offered.

"That would be wonderful. What would I do without you, girlie?"

"Be unbearably lost in every aspect of life." I smiled once more and continued down the stairs. Thomas and his friends had all been quiet during the exchange, but I knew for a fact that they were simply gathering information. I would have done the same thing. Outside, I found Leo with nearly three fistfuls of grass stuffed into his mouth.

"Please, spit it out," I told him. He willingly obliged and released the handful he had in his left hand. I took a hold of it and pulled him along to the forest. Swinging our hands together, I marched him towards Lizzie's favorite spot that only Kate and I knew about: a secret clearing behind the boys spring. The ground had a springy sort of feel to it, so much so that when you walked, you bounced. I pushed aside a flower-covered vine and stepped inside, swinging Leo up into my arms, so that he wouldn't accidentally fall through the ground.

"Lizzie?" I called out. I waited patiently for an answer, knowing that even if she didn't say anything, her sniffling would give it away.

"Over here," she whimpered. I followed the sound of her voice to see her sitting cross-legged on a pink flower bed. I set Leo down.

"Stay away from the water," I commanded. He nodded and took off after a kaleidoscope of green and blue butterflies. I walked over to where Lizzie was sitting and plopped down beside her. "Hey," I said. I nodded in a "'sup" sort of way. She giggled, then frowned again.

"Hi," she replied sadly.

"Oh, Lizzie," I whined. "Don't be this way. You knew he wouldn't remember." I tried to reason with her. We all knew that our memories would be wiped before we went into the Maze. The creators never said that we would get them back. She sighed.

"I know, but it still hurts." She pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I'm sure it does," I conceded. "But there's a bright side."

"And what's that?" she sniffled.

"You can still tell him that you're his sister."

"So?"

"So, you can help him remember. Or you can give him memories from his past. You can tell him about the time that you guys did something twinny, and he can live it all over again. This isn't the end of the world, Lizzie. There are still options."

"I just never thought he would forget me," she said quietly.

"It's WICKED, Lizzie. Not him," I replied gently. She gave me a sad smile.

"You're much better at this than Theo," she informed me.

"What did he say?" I asked. I stood up and brushed off my skirt. Lizzie got to her feet beside me.

"Nothing. He couldn't find me," she said.

"Your fiance is clueless." I shook my head and whistled for Leo. He came running up to us with a huge smile on his face. He was holding a pretty white flower with a lot of tiny petals. He held it out to Lizzie.

"For you!" he exclaimed. Lizzie took it and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"Look, Lux. I could have one of those soon." She sighed dreamily.

"A flower?" I asked.

"A child," she corrected. I looked at Leo, with his chubby cheeks and pretty green eyes. I felt something tug at my heart.

"Yeah, sure," I muttered.

* * *

"So, the skirt will bell out like this…." I drew as I talked, showing Lizzie what I hoped she envisioned for her dress. "And a sash here with a bow in the back…."  
"And no straps," she added. I nodded.

"No straps," I murmured. The knock on the door startled me from my trance. I looked up to see Newt standing in the door.

"I was, uh, told I'd find you here," he said. I assumed he was talking to Lizzie and pushed her forward. She shot me a glare before quickly turning back to her brother.

"Yes," she agreed. Newt waited. "Oh, right, sorry. Look, I'm really sorry about earlier, it's just that it's been so long since I've seen you and―"

"Liz," I coughed. She looked back at me. "He still doesn't know who you are."

"Oh." Lizzie's shoulders sagged. "Yeah. I forgot." Newt didn't seem to like Sad Lizzie anymore than I did.

"You can tell me, you know. It would be nice to know something from my past," he said.

"I'm your sister," she told him. I was very impressed with how Newt handled it; it seemed to wash right over him. "Twins, in fact. My name's Elizabeth, but you called me Lizzie." Newt smiled at her.

"I'm Newt," he said.

"I know," Lizzie replied.

"I know. I just wanted to formally introduce myself to my sister." He grinned. Lizzie threw her arms around him.

"I've missed you so much, and I know you don't really know who I am right now, but it's still such a relief to see you and know you're alive and―"

"Lizzie," I cut off her rambling. "One, you need to breathe. Two, you need to let Newt breathe." Lizzie released the chokehold she had on her brother and tucked a piece of blond hair behind her ear.

"Oh, right." She blushed. Newt looked at me.

"And you're Lennox, right?" he asked.

"It's Lux, actually. Only Oliver and Rebecca call me Lennox," I said.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Newt," he stated.

"I gathered that." I picked my pencil up, wrote _Lizzie_ in the top right hand corner, and stood up from my desk. "Well, you two obviously have a lot of catching up to do. I'm done for today, so I'm going to go. Bye." I left the room and walked out of the building. The new immunes were getting set up. We had just gotten new hammocks and blankets, and a group of people were hanging them up. I could smell food cooking in the kitchens; I suspected Frypan would soon be joining their ranks, if he hadn't already. Glancing in the direction of the injured ruined my mood. So many people were hurt, and I wasn't sure how many could be saved. Luckily, Theo ran up to me during this train of thought.

"Have you seen Lizzie?" he asked. He sounded out of breath and looked about five minutes away from passing out, not to mention frazzled beyond relief. One thing that I liked about Theo was how in love he was with Liz. He would do anything for her, and I enjoyed knowing that she would be safe without Kate and I.

"Yes," I said. He waited.

"Where is she?"

"With Newt."

"What?"

"She and Newt are having a sibling moment. Do not go up there and ruin anything. Give him a chance to play the over-protective big brother role," I ordered.

"So, she's okay?" Sometimes, the heart Theo had surprised me. No one really expected much emotion from the green-haired guy. It often seemed like our roles had been reversed, with him caring and me not.

"She's fine, Theo. I wouldn't be standing here if she wasn't."

"Right, right. Thanks," he said.

"She's my best friend. I'd do anything for her. You and me? We're on the same team," I told him. Theo gave me a tight smile. "I think the builders wanted your opinion on something." Theo nodded and took off in the direction of their latest project. I smiled to myself as I thought of Newt's reaction when Lizzie told him that she was engaged. Finally, a bright spot in all of this awfulness.

* * *

 **Hey, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! It is so easy to fill up five or six pages with this story, and it continues to surprise me! I love this story so much and I'm three chapters in! What do you guys think? How do you like my characters? Are they good? Believable? Too holy? Please, let me know your opinions, especially on Lux!:)**

 **Anyway, so Scorch Trials came out Friday. My friend and I went to see it and can I just say wow. I mean, the movie was amazing and Dylan O'Brien's facial expressions killed me. (Seriously, just like watch him run, it's hilarious.) Unfortunately, the book-to-movie representation wasn't very good. *Sad face* But I seriously love Thomas Brodie-Sangster, like he's just adorable, and if they happen to keep him alive in the next book, I won't object. I feel the exact same way with Finnick in the Hunger Games. So, if you've seen the movie, feel free to share your opinions. If you think I should add in some elements from it, if I should avoid it altogether, etc. etc. (Although, the Cranks were the stupidest things I've ever seen. THEY ARE NOT ZOMBIES AND THEY DO NOT MAKE WEREWOLF NOISES!)**

 **Please follow, favorite, PM, review! I love hearing from you guys. It's what makes my stories go round. Stay tuned for the next installment. Thanks for reading; you're all dolls!**

 **~Isabelle**


	5. Chapter 4: Getting to Know Thomas

_I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know_

 _Then I can't remember caring for an hour or so_

 _Started crying for and I couldn't stop myself_

 _I started running but there's no where to run to_

 _I sat down on the street, took a look at myself_

 _Said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell_

 _Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to_

 _-How Far We've Come_ , Matchbox Twenty

* * *

Chapter 4: Getting to Know Thomas

About a week after the new immunes arrived, things started to settle back down. We assigned anyone who could work to a job. A boy from Group A joined our medical group, what he called the Med-Jacks. Frypan obviously went to work in the kitchens. I managed to finagle several people in to coming and working for me: I now had seven people. Gally joined Theo's building group. Oliver managed to place everyone in a position that they were good at. Except for Thomas, Minho, Newt, Brenda, and Jorge. He had assigned me the task of finding them a job. I sighed for what seemed like the seventeenth time today and turned back to look at them.

"What did you guys do in the Maze?" I asked exasperatedly.

"I ran," Minho said.

"I did, too," Thomas added.

"I was second-in-command. Until Alby died, then I was in charge," Newt told me. I held my tongue. They hadn't seemed to take Gally's "threat" to me all that seriously; no one knew that I had been at WICKED too. I don't know why, but I didn't want them to remember me.

"Okay," I said. "What about you two?" I looked over to where Brenda and Jorge were standing.

"We weren't in the Maze," Brenda responded. I narrowed my eyes.

"Then where were you?" I shifted my hand down to my pocket, where the Panic Button rested. We didn't have many; just Oliver, Theo, Kate, and I had one.

"We worked for WICKED," Jorge told me.

"Worked how?" I asked.

"I was a pilot," Jorge said. "And Brenda worked in the medical wing."

"So does that mean you can join our medical team?" I turned to her and waited for a response. I trusted Brenda, but the way she hid these facts concerned me.

"Yeah, sure," she said. I placed my hand on my hip and smiled.

"Great. One down, four to go." I turned back to the boys. "Now what the hell do you mean you ran?"

"In the Maze. We searched for a way out," Minho explained.

"So all you can do it run? Is that what you're saying?" I clarified.

"I don't know that that's all I can do," Thomas interrupted. "But it's what I did in the Maze."

"What about before the Maze?" I asked.

"We don't remember," Minho reminded me.

"I worked for WICKED," Thomas said. "I helped design the Trials and train the new recruits."

"New recruits?" I didn't remember anything about new recruits.

"The first creators. They all got the Flare and had to be killed. Since I was immune, I helped train the new ones." Thomas looked down at the ground. He seemed pretty ashamed about it.

"So, you can teach?" I asked. He looked back up at me, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know. I guess," he said warily.

"Good, you and Newt can teach the children. Minho can join the building team, Brenda goes with our medical team, and Jorge can work with Oliver. Thank God you showed up, Rebecca was starting to get on my nerves." I rolled my eyes. "Any objections?"

"I'm good," Brenda said.

"Is Gally in charge of building?" Minho asked.

"God, no. Theo is," I told him.

"Then that's fine by me." Minho nodded.

"What will I be doing with Oliver?" Jorge asked.

"Basic stuff. Keeping things organized, mediating fights, officiating weddings. Oliver explains it better," I said. "And you two?" I turned to Newt and Thomas.

"What will we be teaching?" Newt asked.

"Math, science, English, art. Basic stuff. You both seem to be leaders; lead the class. And don't worry, you'll only be teaching elementary level kids," I assured them. Thomas physically relaxed. "So, are we all good? Great. Go to your stations. Jorge, follow me. Newt and Thomas, you come too. We don't have anything set up for school yet." My tiny group dispersed. I walked to the Courthouse, listening to the steps of the three guys behind me. Oliver was sitting in front of the building, some papers in his lap, while Leo was once again eating grass.

"Um, Oliver?" I called out. He looked up with an expectant look on his face. I pointed to Leo. Oliver turned to see his adoptive son stuffing his face with the ground. He managed to get Leo to spit it all out by the time I reached him.

"Does he eat grass a lot?" Thomas questioned.

"All the time. You'll have your hands full with this one," I informed him.

"Ah, so I see that you managed to find these gentlemen jobs." Oliver looked pleased.

"Yes, and the other two, too. Jorge will be working with you," I began.

"What about Becky?" Oliver glared at me. I shrugged.

"She can find something else. And Newt and Thomas will take care of the children," I finished.

"Oh, so we're the babysitters?" Newt laughed.

"No, children need to be taught. You'll just so happen to also be watching them and making sure that they don't get hurt," I said.

"And what did you do with the children before we came along?" Newt asked.

"You're the ones who brought all of the children. We only had five too young to do anything," I retorted.

"Sounds like a good plan. Although, you have to break the news to Becky," Oliver told me.

"Fine." I shrugged. Oliver frowned.

"Maybe I made a mistake in that decision," he muttered. I gave him a wry smile.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Over at your workshop."

"Why?"

"She said she had something to talk to you about."

"While I'm not there?"

"Now, Lennox―"

"If she's touched anything, I'm breaking the rule."

"No, you're not."

"But, Oliver!"

"But nothing. You're not allowed to hurt Becky." Oliver leveled me with a firm stare. I sighed.

"Whatever. But she's not working for me," I told him. Oliver gave a nod of consent. I saluted him and turned to go back to my workshop.

"Take the boys with you. Maybe they can help out there today," Oliver added. I looked back over my shoulder at Newt and Thomas.

"Follow me, then," I ordered. They caught up to me, one on each side, and we walked in silence.

"Newt!" Lizzie ran up to us. He smiled at his sister.

"Hi, Lizzie," he said.

"Will you come with me? I have something I want to show you," she told him. Newt looked back at me.

"Go ahead. Just come to the workshop when you're done," I said. They walked off which left just me and Thomas.

"You know," Thomas said after a few moments. "You remind me of someone."

"Oh, really? Who?" I asked. I knew for a fact that I'd never seen Thomas before, I would have recognized him when he first stepped out of the Flat Trans, but his name did sound incredibly familiar. Of course, if he helped design the Maze Trials then that certainly made sense.

"This woman who was part of the original creators. I don't remember her that well; my memory only comes in flashes―"

"Flashes?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. When we'd finished the three Trials, WICKED said that we could have our memory back. Everyone did it, but me, Newt, and Minho. We didn't trust it." Thomas shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I wouldn't either," I said. "So, everyone else has their memories except for you guys?"

"Yeah. Anyway, you look like this lady who was always doing medical tests on me. She had brown hair, too, but I guess that's stupid. A lot of people have brown hair. I can't really remember her face, but for some reason, she reminds me of you. Maybe it's just a subconscious thing, I don't know. Sorry, it's stupid." Thomas shook his head.

"Not that stupid," I told him. He laughed.

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically.

"Do you remember her name?" I asked.

"They called her Dr. James," he said. I stopped.

"James?" I whispered. Thomas turned to look at me.

"Yeah, I think. Why?"

"That's my last name." I stared at Thomas. "You knew my mother?"

"Your mother worked at WICKED?"

"They wanted my father, but he was dead. They asked her to come instead."

"What about you?" Thomas asked.

"What about me?" I replied.

"Why would she leave you?"

"She didn't!"

"You were at WICKED?"

I sighed and rubbed my face. "Yes, but you can't tell anyone."

"Why?" I fought the urge to strangle the boy. I knew he was just trying to understand but he was really annoying.

"Because I knew them. I knew them all before they were sent into the Maze. I knew Newt and Harriet and Minho and Sonya and Frypan and Gally and Alby and all of those other boys and girls." I was breathing hard.

"And?"

"And I left them! I mean, I didn't have a choice; Ava practically dragged me to the Flat Trans. But I still left them. I left them for dead, and I can't even feel anything about it."

"What do you mean you can't feel anything about it?" Thomas gave me a funny look. Shit.

"Nothing." I shook my head.

"Look, you've kind of bared your soul to me already," Thomas pointed out. "You might as well get it all off your chest."

"I'll tell if you tell," I told him. Thomas stroked his chin in thought. Then, he smiled at me.

"Fine. You've got a deal."

* * *

An hour and a half later, we were sitting at my desk, trading stories. I'd told him all about my temporal dysplasia and my lack of a childhood, and he'd told me what he could remember about WICKED and Teresa and Brenda.

"So," I asked once he'd finished. I smirked. "Teresa or Brenda?" He groaned.

"I don't know. I feel like Teresa and I had something once; I mean, we were best friends. But then the Scorch happened," Thomas said.

"When you say the Scorch, do you mean the part where she betrayed you or the parts with Brenda?" I questioned.

"Both. It hurt like hell when Teresa did all of that stuff, even though I know that she did it to save me. And the whole thing with Brenda... But then I found out that she worked for WICKED and that felt like betrayal too." Thomas put his head in his hands.

"Poor Thomas," I cooed. "So inexperienced with love."

"I almost made a very cruel joke right then, but I managed to stop myself," Thomas said. I laughed.

"If you're talking about my temporal dysplasia, feel free to make whatever joke you want. Everyone does. Well, everyone who knows about it anyway," I told him.

"Why haven't you told anyone?" Thomas asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I just don't think other people need to know. And I guess I'm a little worried that it will affect the way people view me," I said.

"How?"

"It's one thing to be calm. It's another to not feel emotions. It makes me less human."

"And WICKED gave this to you?"

"Kind of," I explained. "I overheard Ava and some guy talking about it. I guess I had signs of it, and they just kind of... let it grow. Put me in circumstances where it would grow. I don't know, and I don't really care. They've made me into this... monster. I just can't stand it. I hate them. For what they did to me and for what they did to my mother."

"I'm sorry about your mother," Thomas said.

"I'm sorry about yours," I replied. Thomas smiled. "And I'm sorry about Teresa, too." Thomas's smile fell. "I just ruined the moment, didn't I? Sorry, I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth." Thomas chuckled.

"It's fine. It's actually kind of funny how clueless you are," he said.

"Ha ha," I mono-toned. "You know, I'm sure you could go check on her tomorrow if you wanted."

"Really?" He looked at me, his eyes filled with hope.

"Really. Come get me in the morning and we'll go," I said.

"Thanks, Lux. You're a great friend." The bell rang, signaling dinner, and I stood up.

"We should go. I bet your friends are dying to tell you about their day," I joked.

"And I can't wait to listen," Thomas said sarcastically. "Don't worry, I won't tell them about your temporal dysplasia."

"I'd appreciate it." I laughed. Thomas and I left my workshop, with me feeling a lot lighter than I had in a long time.

* * *

 **So, I decided to make Thomas and Lux BFFs. What do you guys think? Is this story interesting enough? Should I try and add something to spice it up? I'm kind of setting the scene for right now, but if it needs something... please tell me! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think!**

 **Please follow, favorite, and/or review. Or do all three! Whatever you want! See you guys soon!**

 **~Isabelle**


	6. Chapter 5: Wedding Plans

_'Cause every time before it's been like_

 _maybe yes and maybe no_

 _I won't live without it,_ _I won't let us go_

 _Just look at what we got ourselves into_

 _You make me wanna say I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do,_

 _Love you_

 _~I Do_ , Colbie Caillat

Chapter 5: Wedding Plans

"Hold still!" I ordered. Liz immediately stiffened, her arms straight at her sides. I put another pin in the seam at her side and stepped back to examine my work. "Well, what do you think?" I asked. Lizzie turned around to look in the mirror at her wedding dress. Her face lit up and she clasped her hands together.

"Oh, Lux." She looked over her shoulder to see the back. "It's gorgeous. How did you do this?" I shrugged.

"I kind of cross my fingers and hope for the best," I said. She laughed.

"Luxie, you have a gift," she told me. I gave her a soft smile.

"Oh, please. Liz, you'd look beautiful in a potato sack," I joked. She shook her head and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror once more, her eyes brightening at her appearance.

"Do I have to take it off?" she asked wistfully.

"Three more days," I reminded her.

"Knock, knock," said a voice from the doorway. I turned quickly, ready to scold Theo, but it was only Newt.

"Newt!" Lizzie giggled and twirled for him. "What do you think?"

"I think you look wonderful. I can't believe your getting married." Newt looked as if he wanted to throw up.

"I can't believe you're letting me," Lizzie retorted.

"Who am I to deny you your happiness?" he asked. I began to pack up my stuff as the two siblings chatted. My attention was pulled back when Liz said my name again.

"Huh?" I looked at her.

"I asked how Newt's suit is coming along?" she repeated.

"Oh, it's in the back. Liz, you can take him and he can try it on," I said. She nodded and grabbed Newt by the hand, pulling him after her. He gave me a pleading look, and I had to suppress a smile. It was nice to know that the Maze hadn't changed Newt too much, at least from what he showed Lizzie. Aside from the limp, but I was too nervous to ask about that. I sensed there was a story, and that it wasn't a good one. Soon, Liz came back out in her regular clothes, and Newt came out wearing the black suit I had made.

"Stand." I pointed to the stool in front of the mirror and he quickly obliged. I circled him, looking for baggy areas. "Does it fit alright?" I asked.

"It fits fine," he informed me.

"Not too snug? Not too loose?" I questioned further.

"Nope. I must say, Lux, that you are magic with a needle and thread," he complimented. I knew from him that every compliment was sincere. Sometimes, I didn't get sarcasm, so I had to learn how to decipher people's facial expressions to determine whether they were joking or not. Another side effect of temporal dysplasia. I put my chin in my hand and cocked my hip.

"You're sure? Because you're going to be in this beast for at least three hours," I warned.

"Five," Liz cut in. I stared at her. "At least five hours."

"How long is your ceremony?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I haven't counted."

"Then why do you think it's going to take five hours?"

"Reasons."

"Note to self: wear flats," I monotoned. Liz stuck her tongue out at me and leaned back against the wall.

"It's fine, Lux. Really, it fits great," Newt assured me. I nodded.

"Cool. Go change," I ordered. Newt stepped off of the stool and went to the back room. "Is there anything else needed for this wedding?" I asked Lizzie. The corners of her eyes scrunched in thought.

"I don't think so... Do you have your dress?" she questioned.

"I have something I can wear," I told her.

"You have a Maid of Honor dress just lying around? Will it match the colors?" Liz looked very confused.

"Maid of Honor?" Now, I was confused.

"Yeah. You're my Maid of Honor."

"I am?"

"Lux! I asked you like when I first got engaged!"

"No, you didn't! I would have remembered that!"

"Well, whatever the case, you are my Maid of Honor."

"Lizzie! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I have three days to make a dress from scratch!"

"You've done it before."

"And felt like death afterwards! God, I can feel my hands cramping already." I shuddered. Lizzie stared at me.

"You've made all of these dresses and tuxes and two wedding dresses, and you can't make a dress for yourself?" Liz put her hands on her hips.

"I had months. And you know what else I had? Help! But I let everyone take the week off because of the wedding and all I had to do was make a few adjustments to your dress. That was all! Now, I have a dress to make." I put my head in my hands.

"I can help you," Liz offered.

"No," I deadpanned. Lizzie was awful with sewing.

"But―"

"No. You'd stab yourself with a needle and burn yourself with the iron and sew your sleeve into some part of the dress and sew _my_ sleeve into some part of the dress," I listed off things she'd done before. "And you could do so much more, Lizzie, and, quite frankly, I don't have time to take a trip to the hospital." Lizzie frowned at me. I sighed. "And you have stuff to do for your wedding."

"So do you," Liz said.

"What are you talking about?" I eyed her.

"My bridal shower. My bachelorette party."

"We're in the middle of a forest."

"So?"

"Elizabeth," I warned. "I don't have time for this. Get out. And take your brother with you."

"Hey, what did I do?" Newt walked up, buttoning the top button of his shirt. "No, seriously. What did I do?"

"Nothing, Newt. Lux just got some wonderful news and isn't taking it very well," Liz sniffed.

"It's wonderful news as your best friend. It's awful news as a seamstress," I said. "I have three days to make a dress for myself, and I have plan a bridal shower and a bachelorette party. So get out." I shooed them out, leaned up against the door, and sighed.

"Why did I pick Lizzie as my best friend?" I asked myself. I got up off the door and got to work.

* * *

Kate found me the next day, buried under fabric.

"Lux?" She shook my shoulder and I looked up at her from my cocoon.

"I'm awake," I said.

"Did you go to bed last night?" she asked.

"No," I scoffed. "I don't have time for sleep right now. I didn't make myself a dress for Lizzie's wedding and apparently I'm her Maid of Honor. When did that happen?"

"Um, when she got engaged?" Kate smirked.

"Did everybody but me know that I was the Maid of Honor?" I yelled. Kate laughed. "It's not funny, Kate! I have to plan two parties!" I put my face in the crook of my arm.

"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew," Kate teased.

"I just found out yesterday!" I complained.

"How could you not know that you were in Lizzie's wedding party?"

"I've had a lot of things going on. Please, help me."

"With what?" Kate leaned against my desk.

"With the party planning. I don't know what happens at parties. Especially not parties for soon-to-be married women." My head hurt just thinking about it. Do I use pink? Feathers? Isn't there something about a tiara? Is there supposed to be alcohol? And what about the entertainment? I shuddered.

"Fine," Kate huffed but gave me a small smile. "While you work on your dress, we can talk about it and I'll write stuff down."

"Not exactly what I was going for, but I'll take it. You're a life saver, Kate," I told her.

"What are friends for?" she said.

* * *

"So," Rebecca asked Liz. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" We were all sitting in the living room of Liz and Theo's soon-to-be house. The bridal shower had taken place there a few hours earlier, but now we had moved into the Bachelorette Party. Rebecca was, unfortunately, there. As was Kate, Brynn (who I was still a little wary about inviting because I really wasn't sure what happened at these parties), Clara, and Marie. Liz, of course, wanted to invite more people, but I worried about the space available in her house and I insisted on just inviting the wedding party. I still don't know why Rebecca was apart of the wedding party, but it's not my wedding.

"A little, but mostly I'm just excited." Lizzie grinned.

"We're excited for you," Kate replied. Everyone cheered and lifted up a glass in salute, mine a few moments late because I wasn't sure as to what was going on. I'm not good with people.

"Did you finish your dress, Lux?" Lizzie asked me.

"Yes, I did. No thanks to you," I remarked. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I made a face back at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brynn asked.

"Lux didn't know she was my Maid of Honor until two days ago," Liz told everyone. Rebecca snorted and everyone else giggled.

"No one told me," I defended. Lizzie rolled her eyes but smiled.

"It's still a great Bachelorette Party, and it was a great bridal shower, too. You get stuff done, Luxie." Liz gave me a cheeky grin.

"So," Rebecca dragged out the _O_ and placed her folded hands on one knee. "Are you prepared?"

"Prepared? For what?" Lizzie looked thoroughly confused, as did Brynn. Kate looked a little embarrassed for her, but Marie and Clara were suppressing smiles.

"You know," Rebecca continued to drag out her words. Liz looked around; I clenched my fists. Rebecca was doing this on purpose and it was just plain bitchy.

"C'mon, Rebecca. Leave her alone," I ordered.

"No, I want to know," Lizzie insisted. I sighed.

"Sex," Kate blurted. "She means sex. Are you prepared for sex?"

"Or have you already had it?" Marie wiggled her eyebrows and Lizzie blushed a bright red.

"Oh, no. No, we haven't. And I haven't really thought about that. Do you think he has?" Lizzie put her hands to her mouth. Brynn looked very uncomfortable, and I couldn't say I blamed her. This entire conversation was awkward, especially for a fourteen year-old.

"Every guy has," Marie said. Lizzie blushed deeper.

"And... it'll definitely happen tomorrow?" she asked.

"Only if you want it to," Kate assured her.

"And if he tries to force it on you, I'll castrate him," I told Lizzie. Everyone laughed, but I was serious. We didn't condone rape in Paradise. At all.

"Do you want it to happen?" Rebecca questioned. Lizzie, somehow, managed to turn even redder.

"Maybe? Yes? I don't know!" Lizzie put her head in her hands. "I mean, I love Theo. And we've kissed and done a lot of stuff, but we've never gotten _that_ far."

"Lizzie, you and Theo can talk this over. You don't have to divulge the secrets of your relationship to us," I told her.

"Until after you've done the deed. Then I want details," Rebecca interrupted. I shot her a glare. "Sorry. Here, let's embarrass everyone. We can all talk about our first times." She suggested. Kate paled and Brynn stiffened. I fought the urge to groan. Why was this becoming more like a slumber party?

"Mine was before I came here," Marie offered. "The guy had the Flare and he told me that he wanted to be with someone before he died. And before you judge me, it was a guy that I had crushed on for years. I watched him bite his own tongue off and eat it right before Chancellor Paige took me away."

Oh my God. We were actually going to talk about this shit.

"I lost my virginity at fourteen," Rebecca said. "Well, technically it was twelve, but I don't count that one."

"Why not?" Kate asked.

"I was raped." Rebecca shrugged. Everyone else froze. "Look, I know it sounds bad, but I've come to terms with it. It was my friend's older brother. He was fourteen, and I let myself get swept up in him. I just kind of ignored it until I hit puberty. Then I slept with whoever I could to forget about it."

"Becky, I'm so―" Kate began.

"Don't. I don't want pity. Here, it's better. And no, I haven't slept with anyone here. Although, there is someone I have my eye on." Rebecca winked conspiratorially.

"I'm still a virgin," Clara said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Kate comforted.

"Is there someone who you like?" Marie asked. Clara thought about it, then shook her head no.

"Not really. I just want to get settled in before I start thinking about romance," she said.

"Is there someone who you would sleep with? Just to sleep with?" Rebecca asked. Clara blushed.

"Sure, there are lots of people. Those boys from the Maze are cute, but I know that Thomas is taken. I don't know about Minho and Newt..." Clara trailed off and looked over at Liz.

"If you sleep with my brother, I don't want to hear about it," Lizzie said.

"I would totally sleep with your brother, Lizzie," Rebecca said. "Sorry, but he's hot. And that accent. I'm surprised he hasn't been jumped yet." Lizzie looked like she was going to throw up.

"Oliver doesn't condone violence," Brynn piped up. I winced.

"Not that kind of jumped, Brynn," Kate whispered.

"What?"

"I'll explain when you're older."

"Maybe we should just drop this topic," I suggested.

"And what about you, Lennox?" Rebecca turned to me. "Are you still a virgin?" I met her eyes.

"Yes. No one loves me."

* * *

I put the finishing touches on Lizzie's hair. I stepped back to let the other girls get a look at her.

"It looks great!"

"You're so beautiful, Lizzie!"

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Today's the day!"

"Yeah," Lizzie sighed wistfully. "It is." I could tell that she needed to talk. The Bachelorette Party last nigth had been somewhat fun after we got off of the topic of sex. (I tend to bring down the mood.) Lizzie had enjoyed herself. She was bright and bubbly this morning, but ever since we had stepped in front of the mirror, she had looked sad.

"Alright," I ordered. "Everybody out. Mandatory bride/maid of honor talk. Completely private." The girls left the room relatively quickly and I faced Liz.

"What's wrong?"

"Mum and Daddy aren't here," she said softly. I bit my lip.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie, but no one here has their parents except for a very limited group of children," I pointed out. Liz let out a bitter laugh.

"I love how you try, Lux, I really do. But you are awful at comforting people." She continued to laugh and I grew frustrated. She knew I didn't know how to deal with people and yet she was making fun of me. I drew in a deep breath and reminded myself that this was her wedding day. She was stressed and sad and happy and a lot of emotions that I would never feel. I shook my head.

"You have Newt. At least you have him. And you have Theo, and soon enough you can start your own family and be a mom. This is only the beginning, Lizzie. It was a shitty prologue, but you can make the story wonderful. The first page doesn't define the book." I stared at her reflection in the mirror, willing her to understand. I didn't know how to comfort her. I couldn't sympathize or empathize or anything with her, and that I was trying to be helpful. I couldn't feel and I would never feel the way she did now. Happy and scared and mournful.

Even as I thought the words, I didn't feel regret or sadness. It was just how I was.

Lizzie took in a deep breath through her nose. "You're right. I'm being selfish and stupid."

"No, neither of those things. You're just getting cold feet," I teased. Immediately, the room felt lighter. Lizzie beamed.

"C'mon. Let's go get me married."

* * *

 **Hey! So, this was all pretty much fluff. I'm trying to set up a story line! Next chapter, I think I'll add in some Newt and Lux moments. If you have any preferences as to what kind of moments, feel free to ask. (Just keep in mind that their relationship is in the preliminary stages.) I hope you guys liked the chapter. It was so much fun to write! What do you think about Rebecca's back story? I think I might elaborate on this a little bit more lately. I don't know if you like her or not, but she will be in the story fairly often, though maybe not in the way you would expect.**

 **As a fun question, what do you think Lizzie and Theo's song should be?**

 **Please review, follow, and favorite! Let me know what you think so far of characters, story/plot line, etc., etc. Thank you all so much!:D**

 **~Isabelle**


	7. Chapter 6: Not So Immune

**Hey! Sorry it's taken so long for the chapter but here it is! Enjoy!:D**

 **~Isabelle**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Maze Runner or any of James Dashner's characters/phrases. I only own my characters and ideas.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Not So Immune

I dug my toes deeper into the soft grass. I'd kicked off my shoes earlier, my feet sore from standing in the stupid heels for hours. I ran a finger around the rim of my glass as I watched Lizzie and Theo spin around under the star-lit sky. Oliver had officially married them two hours ago, and the happy couple hadn't separated since. Lizzie caught my eye as she twirled and gave me a large smile.

I looked around at the rest of the wedding reception. Thomas and Brenda were dancing, and Frypan was tasting all of the food he had created. Minho was flirting with some girl I didn't know the name of while Brynn stood off to the side, watching with jealousy. She had developed a bit of a crush. Her brothers, Jasper and Dylan, were sneaking cupcakes off of a plate a few feet behind her. Leo managed to run up and take one from their unsuspecting hands before running to hide under a table.

I leaned my elbows on the table and rested my chin in my hand. It was good to see everyone in Paradise so happy.

"Is anyone sitting here?" a pleasant British voice asked. I knew without turning who it was. Who else, besides his sister, had a British accent?

"Uh, no," I told Newt. "It's empty." Kate had left a little while ago to get a drink and she still hadn't come back.

"Mind if I sit?" he prompted.

"Go for it," I sighed. Newt pulled the chair out and sat down. We watched the party in silence.

"So," he coughed. "You, uh, planned this?"

"Somewhat." I shrugged. "Kate and Oliver mostly did, though. I just planned the outfits."

"They're very nice," Newt said awkwardly. I nodded and messed with my thumbnail. I remembered how Newt and I would bicker while Lizzie got her weekly check-ups. Really, we were both just distracting each other, nervous about what the doctors were going to say about her. Lizzie was immune; Newt wasn't. WICKED was trying to figure out how that worked. They also were trying to see if they could use Lizzie to cure Newt. Unfortunately, there was the possibility that Lizzie might become susceptible to the Flare. It was a two-way street with twins.

"How did they cure you?" I asked bluntly. It had been bugging me. I knew he wasn't immune. Lizzie had cried to me nearly every night about it when we were younger. So how did they find a cure? And why were we all here if they had found a cure?

Newt stiffened. I looked at him. He bit his lip. He looked up from the table, his eyes finding Lizzie swaying with her new husband. Staring at his sister, he told me, "They didn't."

"What?" I turned to look at him. He was staring intently at Lizzie, as if trying to remember this moment. As if it were one of the last good moments he was going to have. A flash of alarm hit me, but I pushed it down as I focused on the important issue: Paradise. "How are you here? Ava wouldn't have let you come if you weren't immune."

"I don't know," Newt said.

"Do you have the Flare?" I demanded.

"Yes," he whispered. I shot up, my chair falling to the ground.

"What the hell?" I kept my voice low. No one had noticed us yet, and I needed to get this figured out. I couldn't kill Lizzie's brother on her wedding day.

"I know, I know." Newt stood up as well, and I grabbed his arm to pull us further back into the forest. "Look, I don't know why Chancellor Paige sent me here. Minho and Thomas and Frypan refused to leave without me, and she was pretty set on sending Thomas to Paradise."

"There is no way that she would have let you come here, even if Thomas wanted you to come. She would have knocked him out and tossed him through," I said. "She must know something. Maybe Thomas does, too. Ava likes to make you guess."

"Anyway," Newt began. "I was going to find a gun the moment I got here. I didn't want to risk anyone. That's what I was looking for when Lizzie found me, and then everyone latched onto me and I was never alone long enough. Then I got to know Lizzie, and I knew I couldn't do that to her. I may not remember our childhood memories, but I made new ones. You can't just do that to a person."

"So, what? You're just going to go insane? Claw your own eyes out? Cut off your ears? What?" I began pacing.

"Lux, listen to me. I've only gotten bad a few times, and it's only been at night. Just seen a few dead Gladers. That's all." I could tell that it wasn't as cut-and-dry as he was pretending it was, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"What if it mutates? What if you've infected _everyone_ here?"

"Do you think that could happen?"

"It has before! The Flare was originally only for a few villages, for population control, but it mutated and spread through the air and ugh!" I ran my hands through my hair. Too many words wanted to come out of my mouth, but I couldn't manage to express any of them.

"How do you know that?"

"Ava told me. We had a lot of time to talk in that little room," I spat. I wound my fingers into my hair and willed myself to calm down. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to kill myself," he said. The air around me seemed to cool. My breath stopped.

"You can't do that, Newt. It would kill Lizzie," I argued.

"I just wanted to see her get married and make sure she was happy. I wrote her a note, telling her everything."

"No. You're not going to do this to her. And what about your friends? They'll be upset too!"

"Lux, you were just saying that I've risked everyone here, and now you don't want me to do something about it?"

"There has to be another way." I stared at him, willing him to understand what exactly his death would do to people. Maybe even to me.

"What way is there, Lux? The only possible cure was supposedly in Thomas's brain," Newt said. Thomas had told me about that. I'd had a vague understanding of the Trials while I was at WICKED, but no one was willing to tell us much. Apparently, Thomas had been the prime subject and they were going to take out his brain to get the cure. Or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention.

"That can't be true. WICKED was extremely flawed. They were so caught up in their own ways that they didn't even begin to look for an alternative route. They were going to start the Trials over again!" I exclaimed. Then, I thought about the one person who wasn't flawed, at least not to me. "Ava," I whispered.

"What about her?" Newt asked. I could tell he was itching to get his death over with. I wondered, for a moment, how he was planning to kill himself. A gun? Rope? Poison? Was that stuff so readily available? I made a mental note to talk to Oliver about locking up certain items.

"Ava sent us here for a reason," I began slowly.

"Yeah," Newt snorted. "To repopulate the earth."

"But that's just it. The Flare will kill everyone who's immune, but that doesn't mean that the virus will die out." My mind raced. I could feel a dull pain beginning behind my eyes. The early signs of a headache.

"But it will," Newt said.

"Not if it's in our system. We can't get sick from it, but we can carry it. And our children may not be immune."

"With two immune parents?" Newt was doubting me. I didn't blame him, but I was starting to realize the reason Ava sent him.

"You and Lizzie are twins, and she's immune and you're not. How am I immune? My mother wasn't. Immunity isn't necessarily genetics. Ava wants us to find a cure. That's why she let you come!"

"How are we supposed to find a cure?" Newt crossed his arms and fixed me with a stare. I could tell that he wasn't completely sold on this. I didn't blame him; it was a little crazy. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions. I just knew that I didn't want Newt to die.

"I don't know. Maybe there's something here that she didn't find until it was too late. But we'll figure it out! We have Thomas; he was a scientist or something before he was sent into the Maze. Maybe he knows something! Or maybe Ava sent something with someone, like a map or a note," I rambled. The words were coming too fast. The thoughts were jumbled in my head, but I knew one thing: I would find a cure.

* * *

From the time I had last seen Thomas to the time I had finished talking to Newt, Thomas had disappeared. I kept a firm hold of Newt's arm as I weaved my way through the reception, looking for his friend.

"Do you know where he would have gone?" I asked, turning back to look at the blond.

"I might," Newt said slowly. "But I don't know if I'm right."

"Well, it's a start, so tell me," I demanded.

"Teresa," he replied. I faltered a step. I'd completely forgotten about her. She'd been unresponsive ever since Thomas had brought her through. I think he said that a piece of the ceiling had fallen on her. He'd managed to lift it off of her and carry her through the Flat Trans, but her rib cage had been crushed and punctured her lungs. After that, I don't know enough medical terms to understand what happened. Something about drowning in her own blood.

Newt and I made our way to the infirmary, stopping whenever someone stopped us to exchange pleasantries. Why was everyone so emotional at weddings? I saw these people every day! But I couldn't do anything about it, so I just talked in a high voice and smiled so much that my cheeks hurt. Finally, we were able to slip out of the reception area, which was basically our entire camp, and into the hospital building.

"Do you know where she is?" I asked.

"Second floor," Newt told me. I nodded and opened the door to the steps. Newt whistled. "You guys sure know how to build a building."

The floors were made out of some sort of tile. Every surface was sleek and shiny and silver. The lights were... fluorescent? I think that's what Oliver told me.

It was strange, the stuff Ava had had sent here before we had gotten here. Enough food for years, and a map to water sources. Materials to build anything we wanted. Materials to make clothes. Shoes. They had obviously been planning Paradise for a while. Sometimes, I wondered what it had been like for those people. Planning something for people to live while you knew you were going to die.

"We have someone who used to be a contractor and several people who used tools for their job," I said. We continued up the steps until we reached the door with a "2" on it. I shouldered it open and began to walk down the hallway.

On the first floor, beds were separated by sheets because it was easier for the nurses and doctors to get from patient to patient. The upstairs floor was for the really bad patients. We'd put separate rooms on the second floor to give the sick and injured some privacy. Multiple broken bones, serious diseases, comas, and stuff like that was all on the second floor. The basement was the morgue.

"Do you know what room?" I asked quietly. I didn't want to disturb anyone. I knew that a few other people from the Flat Trans were up here, as was some girl who had slipped on the kitchen floor and slit her stomach open.

Newt shrugged. I suppressed a sigh.

"It might be the room with the open door," he suggested. He pointed to a room three doors down that was open. I walked softly towards it. Inside was a half-lucid Jill, the girl with the cut stomach, and her aunt, Mary. Mary glanced up as I looked into the room.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Wrong room." She smiled a tight smile and shook her head.

"It's fine. She's too out of it right now. They just gave her some more pain medication. Who are you looking for?" she responded.

"Teresa," Newt supplied, poking his head over my shoulder. I started and tried not to look too uncomfortable.

"She's across the hall. Some boy just went in there, though," Mary said. I heard Newt turn around and walk across the hall, opening the door and letting it fall shut behind him.

"That's actually who we're looking for. Thanks, Mary. Tell Jill that I'll make her that skirt she's been wanting when she gets better," I replied. Mary let out a soft laugh.

"I'm sure that'll give her some incentive," she said. I gave her one last smile before walking to Teresa's room. I inched the door open, looking inside to see what was happening. Thomas and Newt were having a stare down. I figured it was safe to enter.

Teresa lay unmoving in her bed. Her black hair was fanned out across the pillow, and she looked an unhealthy shade of pale. Someone had arranged her hands to lay folded on top of her chest, which was covered in a blanket. The blanket covered up the mess that was her chest. I assumed it was hiding gauze and bandages and some stitches.

The door closed, snapping the boys out of their staring contest. They both turned to look at me. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the door.

"Hey," I said. I narrowed my eyes at Thomas. He visibly gulped. "Care to explain what the hell is going on?"

* * *

 **Soo, what did you think? This crazy conspiracy theory just hit me in the middle of this chapter and I was like, "I have to run with this; it's amazing!" I hope you guys like it. I'm going to be able to have quite a bit of fun with this. Let me know what you think. And who all do you think should go on this little quest that I'll be introducing next chapter? Definitely Lux, Newt, and Thomas, but I'm not sure who else. Maybe one or two people... Feel free to add in your opinion!:)**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review! Thank you all so much for sticking with this! I know it's been a little boring, but it's about to pick up. These first few chapters were just for setting it up, introducing my characters, blah blah blah. Thanks!  
**

 **~Isabelle**


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